The present invention relates to athletic training devices, and more particularly to a batting practice device which aids a batsman to perfect a level swing.
It is well known in the sport of baseball that good hitters have level swings to provide maximum power when hitting a ball. It is therefore desirable to provide a training device which allows a batsman to practice and perfect a level swing in all areas of the strike zone.
Various training devices have been developed in the past for assisting a baseball player in practicing his swing. For example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,940,131, 3,937,464 and 3,475,026, training devices are shown which provide vertically spaced horizontally extending arms which may be raised or lowered to various positions. None of the arms of these devices, however, are resiliently mounted and therefore damage to the arms or the bat may occur if the batsman misses the target area. U.S. Pat. No. 3,386,733 shows a batting practice device having resiliently mounted members for assisting a batsman in developing a level swing. This device, however, is relatively cumbersome and is not easily transportable by young ballplayers. In another type of training device, a batsman strikes a target located between a pair of vertically spaced arms, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,443,131. This latter device however, does not simulate an actual batsman's swing since there is no followthrough. U.S. Pat. No. 3,921,976 shows a hand held batting aid device which, although giving the batter a realistic feel in hitting a ball, has no means for insuring that the batter's swing is level. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 3,117,451 shows an apparatus for analyzing a batter's swing to indicate bat speed, plane of bat swing, and point of ball impact during the swing. Such an apparatus, however, is relatively expensive and is thus not practical for home use or daily practice sessions at playgrounds or parks.